VOA常速英语2008年-Australia, New Zealand Lead Earth Hour Environm

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
29 March 2008

Australians switched off their lights for 60 minutes Saturday to mark "Earth Hour," a campaign by environmentalists to raise awareness¹ about global warming.  The event was started a year ago in Sydney by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  The campaign has spread to major cities worldwide - from Dublin to Chicago and Bangkok to Manila - making Earth Hour 2008 a global movement.  From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

Sydney's symbolic² act of switching off some of its lights has caught on.

Tens of thousands of people have taken part in the event in Australia and across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand.

Environmentalists say more than 370 towns and cities across Asia, Europe and North America will also take part in Earth Hour this year.

Organizers say the purpose of Earth Hour is to show that communities care passionately³ about climate change and want to keep pressure on governments to act decisively.

Critics though have dismissed the event as simply a gimmick⁴ that will not make any difference.

That is a charge rejected by Andy Ridley from the World Wildlife Fund, who says interest has been immense.       

"We're aware of villages in Norfolk in England that are doing Earth Hour and we're aware of the big cities like Chicago and Sydney that are doing it," he noted⁵.  "But I think another amazing thing about Earth Hour that surprised us is that it seems to have transcended⁷ across borders.  It seems to be really popular in South America. You know, places like Vietnam, we've got Seoul on board as a supporting city.  You know, that's an amazing side of it, I think, that it does seem to transcend⁶ politics and cultures."    

There have been a host of celebrations across Australia to mark Earth Hour, including traditional Aboriginal⁸ torchlight performances, environmentally friendly dinner parties and special candlelit evenings for single people.

Some nightclubs have also operated without lights while many Australians have marked the occasion quietly in the darkness at home.

Lights on iconic landmarks⁹ like the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House have also been dimmed.

Global warming is a big issue here with good reason. Australia is one of the world's worst per capita emitters of greenhouse gases.  Many believe that recent droughts and floods are the result of man's destabilizing influence on the climate.

Environmentalists say last year more than two million people and two thousand businesses turned off their lights for one hour in Sydney, cutting energy consumption by 10 percent.

Other cities officially involved in "Earth Hour" include Atlanta, Montreal, Odense and Tel Aviv along with communities in the South pacific island states of Tuvalu and Fiji.

1 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

2 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

3 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

4 gimmick   

n.(为引人注意而搞的)小革新，小发明

参考例句：

• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
• It is just a public relations gimmick.这只不过是一种公关伎俩。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 transcend   

vt.超出，超越(理性等)的范围

参考例句：

• We can't transcend the limitations of the ego.我们无法超越自我的局限性。
• Everyone knows that the speed of airplanes transcend that of ships.人人都知道飞机的速度快于轮船的速度。

7 transcended   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
• It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。

8 aboriginal   

adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的

参考例句：

• They managed to wipe out the entire aboriginal population.他们终于把那些土著人全部消灭了。
• The lndians are the aboriginal Americans.印第安人是美国的土著人。

9 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句